The Internet continues to make available ever-increasing amounts of information which can be stored in databases and accessed therefrom. Additionally, with the proliferation of portable terminals (e.g., notebook computers, cellular telephones, personal data assistants (PDAs), smartphones and other similar communication devices), users are becoming more mobile, and hence, more reliant upon information accessible via the Internet. For example, many users are interested in using the vast information base of the Internet to locate driving directions to a destination address or to locate businesses in close proximity to a pre-selected location.
As polygon geometry storage and query systems (e.g., mapping applications) continue to evolve with respect to the Internet, there is an ongoing demand to locate additional focused and targeted information by users. Conventionally, mapping applications have been used primarily to provide users with directions to and/or from a particular location. As well, conventionally, these applications oftentimes provide additional generic information about the particular destination location.
By way of example, when planning for a vacation, a user can use a mapping application to easily request driving directions from one location to another. Additionally, these mapping applications can be employed to provide other information about a destination location. For example, many applications can assist a user to research a destination location with regard to “must see” locations.
Today, as these mapping applications continue to evolve, uses for the underlying information also continues to evolve. For example, it is not uncommon for a user to search for specific information based upon a reference point. By way of specific example, today, a user can search for specific establishments within a defined radius of a reference point. Similarly, it is sometimes useful for a user to define an area in order to locate a specific group of targeted items that fall within the defined area. For example, one use of this area-based analysis would be directed to a targeted advertising campaign. Another common example would be directed to a political campaign. In either of these scenarios, it is oftentimes desirable to be able to locate a demographic characteristic with respect to an identified region, either arbitrary or defined (e.g., county line, state).